The Bravest Thing
by IloveMerlinandArthur
Summary: Harry goes to meet Voldemort in the forest to die and this is what happened afterwards. I'm not good at summaries, please R/R. Rated M for safety. HP/LV Eventually.


Chapter One: The Bravest Thing

People would call him brave, courageous and self-sacrificing for what he was about to do, however, Harry Potter felt anything but brave or courageous now. His hands were sweating as he curled and uncurled them multiple times, as he walked into the Forbidden Forest, to Voldemort. The Dark Lord's hissing voice still echoing in his mind, _"You have fought valiantly, but in vain...Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate..."_ Harry reached into his jean's pocket and retrieved the golden snitch that rested there, looking at the inscription, 'I open at the close,' and whispered in a strangled tone, "I am about to die," and just like that the little ball flapped it's wings and opened up to reveal the stone that had resided in Marvolo's ring. A dead horcrux now, but its powers from being the Resurrection stone still remained. Harry turned the stone in his hand three times and almost immediately did vapoury like figures appear around him. They were wispy and not completely there, Harry new that this meeting would be fleeting at best but he would remember it forever, around him stood his mother and father - Lily and James. Sirius who still wore his roguish smile, Remus who no longer seemed depressed but at peace and to Harry's dismay, Severus Snape was there, dour even in death. He looked at each figure with wide eyes, internally struggling to hold back the fear and the tears. None of them had to die...No one else had to die...

"Mum, Dad?" Harry whispered, only he could see the spirits, but he did not want to alert any Death Eater's to his position just yet.

"Harry my baby," Lily responded lovingly, "You have been so brave, especially when having faced danger, difficulty, or pain. I am so proud of you."

"I don't feel brave," Harry replied quietly, feeling guilty. "I don't want to kill anyone...Mum. Is it bad that I don't want to kill him or that I do not want to die?"

"No son," James replied instead, "It's not bad. Even though Voldemort has done terrible things, not wanting to kill someone or wanting not to die just means your normal."

"All I've ever wanted was to be normal..." Harry whispered smiling at his parents who smiled back, "I've missed you so much." Harry continued, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

"And we've missed you," Lily replied, eyes light and smile even more vibrant, "But we never left you, we live inside you," here she placed her cold, transparent hand over his heart, "In here."

"Your parents are right, Harry." Remus spoke up, looking into Harry's eyes he continued, "In regards to feeling unsure about what is to come, courage is only the mental strength to face danger or fear. Whereas bravery is the quality that allows someone to do things that are dangerous or frightening."

Harry nodded his head in understanding of what they were saying; he then turned to face Sirius, who gave him a huge smile and opened his arms wide, as if he were offering a hug. "You have grown into a fine young man Harry, and I have to say if we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened." Sirius paused a moment, to let that message sink in, and then said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. We all know, even silent Snape over here knows that when you step into that clearing over there, that you will do the right thing for you and that is the bravest thing ever."

Harry nodded his head resolute, his resolve building and strengthening. He shared a look with Snape, who tilted his head in acknowledgment for everything and Harry returned the gesture. "Okay," Harry whispered, "I'm ready."

It had only been a few minutes - a few minutes too soon, for the clearing where Voldemort and his Death Eaters awaited his unsure arrival was suddenly upon him and Harry had to make a decision.

"Before you go into this..." A low voice spoke for the first time that night, "Here's what I have learned... Life is a balance of hanging on and letting go. In the moment, shut down the mind and let intuition give you the answer. Have no regrets."

Harry turned back one last time to glance at Snape and nodded, "Thanks." With one final look at all those gathered, he turned to step into the clearing and as he did so, all the ghosts faded away.

Voldemort did not have to hear the boy to know he had just walked into the clearing, he had felt it - or rather sensed it. Potter's magical signature was strong and somewhat like his own, which made him pause for a brief moment. In his travels around the world-seeking supporters and gaining followers, he had learned many different branches of magic - one of those was an art called Sensory Magic. Most witches and wizards have the basic inborn ability to perform this type of magic to a degree, called extrasensory perception - the ability to sense information without the aid of using the five senses. Voldemort had honed his natural talent for the art until he could sense the presence of magic and gain an understanding about the magical energies that he was sensing an if he concentrated he could even determine the location of magic. He wondered why he and the boy seemed to have a similar signature, he determined that it did not really matter; Potter was going to die tonight anyway. Voldemort let out a quiet breath before turning to face the boy, a wicked grin forming on his face as he did so.

"Harry Potter", the Dark Lord murmured, his black robe billowing around in the breeze, "Has come to die." The crowd of restless Death Eaters hollered and jeered at the boy, who did not flinch - but frowned slightly.

"Well get on with it then." Harry said loudly, with more nerve than he actually felt. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to draw his wand, to defend himself - but he would not. He could feel the invisibility cloak scrunched up under his robe, he could try to make an escape...but he made himself stay unmoving where he was, looking Voldemort in the eye.

Voldemort glared daggers at the boy, the bane of his existence and then without an instance notice he yelled, "Avada Kedavra", and watched with cold, uncaring red eyes as the green light struck Potter in the chest - sending his body falling lifeless to the ground.

Harry heard Voldemort shout the killing curse and saw the green fire rushing towards him, as if in slow motion. He could feel his heart beating so fast that his ribcage began to ache, he could feel every inch of himself shudder internally and realized he had never felt so much alive as he did in that moment knowing it was all going to end - just as the light was upon him, he closed his eyes.


End file.
